Nanning cracks major illegal counterfeit e-cigarette case worth over RMB 1.7 million

To regulate the order of the e-cigarette market in the jurisdiction, combat illegal activities related to e-cigarettes, and rectify the illegal sale of flavored e-cigarettes, the Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Binyang County, Nanning City, Guangxi Province, focused on the sources of illegal e-cigarette production, circulation channels, and retail markets. They took strong measures to conduct a comprehensive investigation of illegal e-cigarette situations and recently uncovered a major case of illegal production and sale of counterfeit e-cigarettes, with a total case value exceeding 1.7 million yuan.

Production site. Photo by Huang Huijie

Based on clues provided by the Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Hezhou City, it was reported that an electronic factory in a certain street in Binyang Town was illegally producing and selling e-cigarette products. The Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Binyang County immediately conducted preliminary investigations to fully grasp the division of labor among the gang members, transportation channels, business models, and activity patterns to achieve precise strikes.

On July 21, the Nanning Tobacco Monopoly Bureau's inspection team, along with the Binyang County Tobacco Monopoly Bureau and the Binyang County Public Security Bureau, conducted a joint law enforcement action to apprehend the criminal gang. They seized an illegal e-cigarette production and sales site in a residential building in Binyang County, confiscating a batch of illegal e-cigarette products: 14,074 disposable e-cigarettes, 112,330 disposable e-cigarette tubes, 178,020 packaging boxes, 18,000 anti-counterfeiting codes, and 50 kilograms of atomization materials, with a case value of approximately 1.7393 million yuan.

Scene of the arrest. Photo by Huang Huijie

Currently, the case has been filed for investigation by the public security department, and further efforts will be made to expand the results, effectively cleaning up and regulating the e-cigarette market order in Nanning, continuously increasing the regulatory efforts on the e-cigarette market, and enhancing the promotion of the dangers of non-standard e-cigarettes such as "milk tea cups" and "cola cans" to minors, protecting the physical and mental health of minors.